Barnett Formula

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on the operation of the Barnett formula; and if he will make a statement.

Ann McKechin: I have had recent discussions with the First Minister on a variety of matters. This Government believe that the Barnett formula has delivered stable and transparent settlements for Scotland under successive administrations for almost 30 years.

Defence Procurement

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on defence procurement in Scotland.

Jim Murphy: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a range of matters.
	Following a substantial inquiry earlier this year, the Scottish Affairs Committee found the defence industry to be a vital part of the Scottish economy, generating nearly £2.31 billion in sales and, together with the MOD, supporting almost 50,000 jobs. Sustained UK Government investment in Scotland has played a central and significant part in this success and I will work hard to ensure Scotland's interests continue to be heard at the highest level.

National Minimum Wage

Jim Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Scotland had their wages increased as a result of the recent rise in the national minimum wage.

Jim Murphy: It is estimated that 90,00 Scottish workers have benefited from the rise in the national minimum wage introduced on 1 October.

Devolution

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what issues relating to the devolution settlement he has considered since his appointment.

Ann McKechin: Following our appointments, the Secretary of State and I have made clear we will work with colleagues in Government and the devolved administration to ensure the settlement continues to deliver results for Scotland.
	Consideration of a wide range of matters relating to the devolution settlement is integral to the work of the Scotland Office and its Ministers. We work to ensure that the devolution settlement continues to deliver for the people of Scotland and maintains Scotland's position within the United Kingdom.

Mentally Ill Staff

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information his Department has gathered on the effect of its policies and practices on the recruitment, development and retention of employees with mental illnesses within his Department; and what use has been made of that information.

Ann McKechin: Under the Disability Equality Duty introduced by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, the Departments and public sector bodies listed in the associated regulations are required to publish and implement Disability Equality Schemes. These are plans setting out how they will carry out the Disability Equality Duty, monitor, and report on progress. In particular this includes their arrangements for gathering information on the effect of their policies and practices on the recruitment, development and retention of their disabled employees, including those with mental health conditions, and making use of that information.
	The Scotland Office is covered by the scheme introduced by the Ministry of Justice which involves impact assessments, action plans and information gathering; the scheme and associated action plan is available at
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/equality-schemes-2008.htm
	The public sector bodies sponsored by the Office that are subject to these requirements are responsible for publishing and implementing their own disability equality schemes.

Departmental Training

David Davies: To ask the Leader of the House how much her Office spent on external training courses for departmental staff in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006,  (c) 2007 and  (d) 2008; and which external organisations were paid by her Office to provide such courses in each year.

Chris Bryant: Staff of the Leader's Office are encouraged to attend training courses as part of their development. For the financial year of 2007-08, the following external training courses were provided to members of staff.
	
		
			  Organisation  £ 
			 Embracing Enterprise Ltd. 2,937.50 
			 Dod's Parliamentary Communication 3,525 
			 National School of Government 3,350 
		
	
	Staff also have the opportunity to attend internal training courses which are provided to members of staff by the Cabinet Office free of charge.
	Details of any payments in 2008-09 will only be available when the Department's resource accounts are fully audited and laid before Parliament.
	Due to the machinery of government changes, the Leader of the House of Commons office now forms part of the Cabinet Office. Information for external training courses prior to 2007 can be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Plain English

Philip Davies: To ask the Leader of the House how many documents produced by her Office were submitted to the Plain English Campaign for approval for Crystal Mark status in each year since 2005; and how many documents achieved such status in each year.

Chris Bryant: None.

Departmental Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on overnight accommodation by his Department's civil servants in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: The cost of overnight accommodation, including subsistence, for civil servants within the Northern Ireland Office, excluding its Agencies and Executive NDPBs, for the financial year 2007-08 was £407,855.
	The cost of overnight accommodation could be separated from this figure only at disproportionate cost.

Local Government: Elections

Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission if he will place in the Library a full copy of the research that the Electoral Commission commissioned into the socio-demographic breakdown of the turnout in the 2008 local elections in England.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has placed in the Library a copy of the report of public opinion research commissioned from ICM to support the Commission's review of the 2008 local elections in England and Wales.

Departmental Finance

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how his Department's budget has changed following the movement of responsibilities to the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The budget for the new Department is currently being decided between it and the contributory Departments: the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. The budget will be announced to Parliament in the Spring Supplementary Estimate.

Departmental Telephone Services

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what agencies or units for which his Department is responsible require the public to make telephone calls to them on numbers which charge more than the national call rate; and how much income each such agency has derived from such charges in each of the last three years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has made use of 0870 telephone numbers, which generated income of £1,023.61 in 2005-06, £792.06 in 2006-07 and £3,764.02 in 2007-08. All of these amounts have been paid into the Consolidated Fund Extra Receipts and so were not used to defray DEFRA's costs. The Department also makes use of 0845 numbers which are charged at standard national rates.
	Animal Health Agency uses two lines which are 0844 numbers and charge at 4.2 pence per minute. Animal Health makes no income from these lines.
	None of the Department's other agencies make use of any lines which charge above the national rate.
	Pesticides Safety Directorate confirmed that they did not use lines which charge above the national rate when they were an agency of DEFRA, prior to their move to the Health and Safety Executive in April 2008.

Food: Prices

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on  (a) crop yields and  (b) food prices of proposed revisions to Directive 91/414/EEC on plant protection products, broken down by crop.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In May 2008 the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) published an assessment of the agronomic impact of the proposed revisions to Directive 91/414/EEC. A copy of this assessment has been placed in the Library of the House and can also be found on the PSD website.
	The assessment carried out by PSD has recently been developed into an economic assessment by Sean Rickard, Senior Lecturer in Business Economics at Cranfield University School of Management and is available on the Cranfield university website.

Pesticides

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date  (a) his Department and  (b) the Advisory Committee on Pesticides was first informed by the manufacturers that the insecticides known as neonicotinoids have been reported in other countries to have a significant adverse impact on honey bees.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The German authorities suspended the authorisations of 'all insecticidal seed treatments for maize and oilseed rape' on 16 May 2008. Eight products were involved which included six manufactured and distributed by one manufacturer. The Pesticides Safety Directorate was contacted by that manufacturer on 19 May 2008, and on the same day, PSD contacted the German authorities for confirmation of the measures taken and for more detailed information. Contact between the Advisory Committee on Pesticides and pesticide manufacturers takes place through the Committee's secretariat.

Pesticides

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date members of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides were first informed that the group of insecticides known as neonicotinoids  (a) were the subject of a court case in Germany being brought by beekeepers alleging that these chemicals were responsible for large-scale death tolls among their honey bees and  (b) that the Italian Government had suspended use of the sprays because of their adverse effects on honey bees.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Advisory Committee on Pesticides' Environment Panel were informed of the incident in Germany, which led to the death of honey bees and restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids in Italy, at their meeting of 21 October 2008.
	The Pesticides Safety Directorate is currently awaiting further information from the Italian authorities as to the basis for their action.

Pesticides

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will suspend immediately the use of neonicotinoid insecticides in order to protect honey bees.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I have no plans to suspend approval for the use of neonicotinoid insecticides.
	The risk assessment process which was undertaken prior to the granting of the approval to market and use these pesticides established that the risks associated with the use of these products fell within acceptable limits.
	The UK Government meet regularly with representatives of the European Commission and member states (including those which have recently imposed restrictions on the use of these chemicals), to discuss issues relating to pesticide approvals. The question of bee mortality and these pesticides was discussed at a recent meeting and at the 10th International Symposium of the International Commission for Plant-Bee Relationships on Hazards of Pesticides to Bees on 8-10 October 2008. At present there is no evidence that the approvals need to be amended on the crops and at the rates used in the UK, but we will continue to keep the situation under review.
	In addition, the Government's wildlife incident investigation scheme reviewed a number of bee deaths reported to it this summer. No neonicotinoid pesticides were detected during analysis of the bee bodies.

Pesticides

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what special steps he has asked  (a) the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) and  (b) the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) to take to investigate the reported high levels of deaths of British honey bees over the last two years; when he made these requests; and what advice he has received from the (i) PSD and (ii) ACP to date.

Huw Irranca-Davies: At this point in time there is no evidence to suggest that reported losses of UK honeybee colonies are related to pesticide applications (see response to PQ 5369 07/08). Consequently the Secretary of State has not asked either PSD or the ACP to investigate these reports.
	Reports of colony losses are being investigated as a high priority, and there may be a number of factors involved. Additional funds of £120,000 (£90,000 from DEFRA and £30,000 from the Welsh Assembly Government) have been allocated to the National Bee Unit to expand the investigations they started last year into significant bee losses and to meet the demand for increased inspections of bee imports.

Single Payment Scheme

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was of administering payments under the single payment scheme in each of the last three years, broken down by claims of less than  (a) £1,  (b) £1-£100,  (c) £100-£1,000,  (d) £1,000-£10,000,  (e) £10,000-£50,000,  (f) £50,000-£100,000,  (g) £100,000-£250,000,  (h) £250,000-£500,000,  (i) £500,000-£1,000,000,  (j) £1,000,000-£2,000,000 and  (k) over £2,000,000.

Jane Kennedy: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) does not collect information on the cost of administering payments under the single payment scheme in England broken down by monetary value. This information cannot be extracted without incurring disproportionate costs.
	RPA is the accredited CAP Paying Agency within England. Information for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should be sought from the relevant devolved administrations.

Wildlife: Pets

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government has taken to reduce illegal possession of exotic wildlife.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The possession of exotic wildlife is not governed by specific legislation but is affected by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act where appropriate and the European regulations on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora which implement the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild flora and fauna (CITES) in EU member states.
	The Dangerous Wild Animals Act places a responsibility on local authorities to ensure that species covered by the Act are kept in appropriate and safe conditions. It is essentially a public safety measure rather than legislation aimed at illegal wildlife possession.
	The CITES regulations are aimed at the trade of wildlife and thus control the import of exotic wildlife into and out of the EU. The CITES Management Authority, and the UK Border Agency work closely with the National Wildlife Crime Unit to ensure that the enforcement and compliance aspects of the control in trade come up to the highest possible standards.
	DEFRA, with other regulatory authorities and non-government organisations, are developing a communications strategy aimed at raising awareness of CITES controls among the public, businesses and other relevant organisations. Animal Health representatives regularly attend trade shows and produce literature advising on the CITES controls and with the aim of reducing the illegal imports of endangered species. The UK Border Agency is responsible for enforcing CITES import and export controls at the UK frontier. Profiling and targeting activities are also carried out by them in order to combat illegal imports.

Armed Forces: Complaints

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information is available to recruits to the armed services on the function of the Service Complaints Commissioner and how to make complaints in confidence.

Bob Ainsworth: Information about the role of the Service Complaints Commissioner (SCC) is communicated through a number of means. Joint Service Publication 831 Service Complaints (Redress of Individual Grievance) sets out the policy and process for making and handling Service complaints, and includes a chapter on the role of the SCC. This is available on the Defence intranet and www.mod.uk to all serving personnel. A booklet covering the main points of the complaints process, with a leaflet explaining the role of the SCC has been issued for distribution to all Service establishments. A team profile is under development on the Defence intranet to make information relating to Service complaints available electronically. This profile will also provide a link to the SCC's website. The SCC has visited establishments of all three Services, and continues to do so regularly, to meet serving personnel and the chain of command to raise awareness of her post.
	The three Services have different approaches to providing information to recruits about how to make complaints in confidence:
	 Navy
	Within Phase 1 training Royal Navy and Royal Marine Rating and Other Ranks recruits at each establishment are briefed on both equality and diversity related complaints and Service complaints generally.
	 Army
	All recruits and trainees receive briefings that inform them of the function of the complaints procedures and the various channels which are available to raise a complaint. These include: the chain of command, Women's Royal Voluntary Service, the padre, the unit welfare officer, a medical officer and the confidential support line.
	This is currently in the process of being reinforced by the inclusion of detail covering the role of the SCC in the "Army Recruiting and Training Division Code of Conduct and Behaviour for Recruits," leaflet and the Recruiting Group publication "A Guide for Guardians and Parents". With the Commissioner's agreement, a paragraph outlining her role will be included in letters sent to parents.
	 RAF
	There are two training establishments for the RAF, Cranwell and Halton.
	At RAF Cranwell, the Officer and Aircrew Cadet Training Unit is responsible for conducting the initial training of all officers and non-commissioned aircrew. Since January 2008, all cadets at RAF Cranwell have been briefed during their first week of training on the role and contact details of the SCC.
	At RAF Halton, comprehensive measures are in place to ensure that recruits are aware of the complaints procedures. These include two 45 minute briefings on the RAF's Equality and Diversity Policy, and the distribution of a booklet entitled "Combating Bullying and Harassment in the Royal Air Force" to all recruits. The issue is also addressed in the Station Commander's Supervisory Care Directive, which is mandatory reading by all instructors at RAF Halton and is available to all recruits.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 1600-1W, on armed forces: health services, what the basis for charges for the use of  (a) (i) internet, (ii) telephone and (iii) television access at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Selly Oak and  (b) the telephone at Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre was.

Kevan Jones: The basis for charges for internet, telephone and television access are as follows:
	
		
			  Selly Oak Hospital 
			  £ 
			 Television (1)1.20 
			  (2)4.50 
			  (3)9.50 
			 Internet (4)60 pence 
			 Telephone (5)10 pence 
			 (1) For two hours 2 For one day (3) For three days (4) For 20 minutes up to a maximum of £3.60 per day (5) Per minute to all UK land lines 
		
	
	Charges for use of the payphones at Headley Court are set at 40 pence per minute to cover costs
	Patients at Selly Oak are provided with pay cards by the Military Liaison Officers to use the facilities concerned. Funding for the cards is provided from patient welfare funds.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) telephones,  (b) televisions and  (c) computers with internet access are supplied for patient use at (i) the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Selly Oak and (ii) Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre.

Kevan Jones: At the Selly Oak, Queen Elizabeth and Heartlands hospitals there is access to television, telephone and internet facilities at every bed. The Alexandra Wing (the military low dependency wing at Selly Oak Hospital) has three televisions, one telephone and five internet terminals. In addition, the Military Liaison Officers have access to a further three telephones and 15 internet enabled laptops if required.
	At Headley Court there are nine televisions, 10 internet terminals and three payphones available for use by patients.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average cost per patient was of the provision of  (a) internet,  (b) television and  (c) telephone facilities at (i) the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Selly Oak and (ii) Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre in the latest period for which figures are available.

Kevan Jones: The information is not held in the format requested.

Armed Forces: Housing

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many units of service family accommodation  (a) in the UK and  (b) overseas there are in each standard for condition grade; and what percentage of the total each represents.

Kevan Jones: Out of a total worldwide stock of some 71,000 Service family accommodation (SFA) properties, 54,493 have been assessed for their standard for condition (SfC)—a measure of the physical condition of the property against 102 attributes. Of those properties assessed by SfC, the following are currently at each standard:
	
		
			   UK SFA  Percentage  Overseas SFA  Percentage 
			 S1fC 28,813 61 2,487 36 
			 S2fC 16,830 35 840 12 
			 S3fC 1,773 4 1,966 28 
			 S4fC 83 1 1,701 24 
		
	
	This Department accepts that some SFA properties are not of a standard that our Service personnel and their families deserve and steps are being taken to address this. Since 2001, in Great Britain nearly 13,000 SFA have been upgraded to S1fC, with some 600 of the worse condition properties to be upgraded this year and a further 800 in each year thereafter. In Great Britain, no Service family will be required to live in S4fC accommodation by the end of this financial year.
	Regarding overseas SFA, 650 properties will be upgraded to S1fC this year on the overseas estate, of which 500 will be upgraded under the hired accommodation review programme in Germany which also looks to replace flats with houses. In Cyprus, work is under way to upgrade 269 of the worse condition properties.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the conclusions were of the evaluation in 2007 of the use and effectiveness of procedures for seeking confirmation of self-declared medical and social histories to determine the suitability of an applicant for employment in the army; and what progress has been made in extending these procedures throughout HM armed services.

Bob Ainsworth: Since 2004, the Army has sought to obtain a recruit's medical records on arrival at the Phase 1 Training establishment, together with a completed medical questionnaire during the recruiting process, from the recruit's GP. No formal evaluation of this policy was conducted in 2007. However the Army considers this to be a highly effective way of helping to identify particularly vulnerable recruits during the recruiting process and at the very start of basic training. As a result the Army has been able to ensure that recruits have the appropriate support throughout their time in the Army training system. The procedures were extended to Territorial Army selection in April 2007.
	Practice in the other two services varies.
	In May 2008, the Navy introduced confirmation of self-declared medical and social histories to determine the suitability of all applicants for employment.
	The RAF operates a different system and does not routinely seek to obtain medical information from applicants' GPs, other than for those applying for commissioned officer (or non-commissioned aircrew) service.

Armed Forces: Safety

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures are in place in the armed forces to consider and act upon recommendations following Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigations; what HSE reports were received in 2007; and what steps were taken as a result of each.

Bob Ainsworth: The procedures for consideration and acting upon recommendations following Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Investigations are contained within Ministry of Defence policy documentation Joint Service Publication (JSP) 815—Defence Environment and Safety Management, Annex L and JSP 375— The MOD Health and Safety Handbook, Volume 2 Leaflet 14.
	Information about HSE reports received in 2007 and the actions taken, is not held centrally and officials are collating the details. Once this work has been completed I will write to my hon. Friend.

AWE Sites: Floods

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the Atomic Weapons Establishment report on the effects of extreme weather events and flooding at its Burghfield and Aldermaston nuclear warhead development and production sites in July 2007; how much the remedial action taken as a result of the report has cost to date; and what assessment he has made of the sustainability of  (a) AWE Aldermaston and  (b) AWE Burghfield.

Quentin Davies: Following the extremely heavy rainfall on 20 July 2007, immediate action was taken by AWE plc., with the agreement of MOD, to prevent any reoccurrence of the flooding. These measures proved effective when further extreme weather conditions were subsequently experienced across the country.
	AWE prepared a comprehensive review, learn and improve (RLI) assessment report following the flooding to ensure the continued safety of both sites. The MOD endorsed this report, and its recommendations, many of which were under way or implemented prior to its publication. The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate has remained content that nuclear site licence requirements have been met both during and subsequent to the periods of exceptional rainfall.
	The cost of remediation, to the extent that it is not covered by commercial insurance, is still the subject of commercial discussions between the MOD and AWE plc.
	The disruption caused by the flooding had no adverse effect on the UK deterrent programme, and both Aldermaston and Burghfield sites maintained the capability safely to support the deterrent. Knowledge gained from the events following the flooding has been taken into account in taking forward the programme of investment under way at AWE announced in July 2005, which will ensure that this capability is sustained into the future. Specifically, flood prevention measures continue to be included in designs for replacement facilities and the potential risk from flooding forms a key element of planning applications to the local planning authority.

Beryllium

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has  (a) undertaken and  (b) evaluated on the possible health effects of beryllium on humans.

Kevan Jones: The MOD has undertaken three studies on the health effects of beryllium between 1979 and 1990 as part of an ongoing commitment to the health and safety of its employees. These studies involved 338 individual tests for an allergy to beryllium. 16 positive test results were found from workers at the Atomic Weapons Establishments at Aldermaston and Cardiff. The significance of positive tests remains uncertain and no firm conclusions can be drawn.
	MOD continues to evaluate and contribute to the understanding of the possible health effects of beryllium through AWE's contribution to national and international industry working groups on the subject.

Departmental Art Works

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on maintaining its works of art in each of the last three years.

Kevan Jones: Excluding staff costs, the MOD Art Collection team spent the following sums:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2005-06 52,992 
			 2006-07 59,895 
			 2007 56,254 
		
	
	The majority of these costs relate to conservation, re-framing and installation in order to maintain the MOD Art Collection for the future.
	The MOD Art Collection consists of works of fine art in a range of media; sculpture, furniture, clocks, photographs, manuscripts, prints and ships' figureheads. Everything in the collection is owned by the taxpayer, as opposed to the various Regimental Mess and Ward Room collections, which are owned by Mess members.
	Most of the works in the MOD Art Collection archive have been presented, donated or bequeathed to the Admiralty or to the War Office over the last 300 years. Works representing the activities and history of the RAF are less well represented in the archive. Items from the archive are displayed all over the Defence Estate and in Residences of senior officials. As a general rule, taxpayers' money is not used to acquire works of art; but to protect, conserve and display those works for which the MOD is responsible. The very best works of art are on long-term loan to various public art galleries and museums.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in his Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Kevan Jones: The most serious of disciplinary offences in the MOD are identified as those amounting to gross misconduct. Charges of gross misconduct are considered by Deciding Officers at Senior Civil Service (or equivalent) level.
	Although there is no official categorisation of such offences into an order of seriousness, the most serious gross misconduct offences in the last 12 months have included negligence causing injury to others, failure to declare criminal convictions and a number of thefts of MOD property and fraud. These cases resulted in dismissal. Procedures and policies are revised as appropriate in the light of such cases.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sanctions are available in cases of departmental staff found to have committed disciplinary offences; and how many times each has been used in each of the last three years.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence has a range of penalties that may be applied to those civil servants found to have committed disciplinary offences. Minor offences attract a formal warning. Number of such warnings have not been recorded centrally. For more major offences, penalties include reprimand; loss of pay (for one, five or 10 days); downgrading with a ban on promotion for up to three years; or dismissal. Penalties may be accompanied by restitution if appropriate according to centrally available records, the number of such penalties has been as follows:
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Reprimand 19 10 14 
			 Loss of pay 55 14 17 
			 Downgrading 1 0 3 
			 Dismissal 26 17 27 
			  Note: It is possible that these figures do not give a fully complete view, as they were managed locally and not all may have been reported to the central conduct unit. Since October 2007, all cases have been centrally monitored and recorded by the People Pay and Pensions Agency.

Departmental Operating Costs

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual  (a) staffing and  (b) other office costs of the office of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for Veterans is.

Kevan Jones: The staffing cost of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for Veterans for the financial year 2007-08 was £395,297. In addition to the development and delivery of policy, the staff work load incorporates the processing of over 1,650 parliamentary questions and around 3,300 letters from MPs and peers each year. The cost includes a proportion of support staff costs shared between Defence ministerial offices. Additional office costs separately identifiable for financial year 2007-08 were £33,368; this figure excludes shared building and office services.

Departmental Secondments

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials from his Department have been seconded to work for private companies in the last five years, broken down by  (a) grade,  (b) salary band and  (c) company.

Kevan Jones: Centrally held records since 1 April this year show that the Department currently has no officials seconded to work for private companies. Secondments prior to 1 April 2008 were arranged locally by Business Partners and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ex-servicemen: Advisory Services

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the locations are of the six pilot schemes offering specialist advice to armed forces veterans.

Kevan Jones: The NHS sites participating in the community mental health pilot scheme for veterans are: Stafford, Camden and Islington, Cardiff, Bishop Auckland, Plymouth and Scotland. In addition, to assist those veterans not in the catchment areas of one of the pilots, we have expanded our Medical Assessment programme (MAP) based at St. Thomas' hospital, London, to include assessment of veterans with mental health symptoms with operational service since 1982.

Access for All Scheme

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding he plans to allocate to the Access for All fund in each of the next three years.

Paul Clark: Access for All was launched by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Glasgow, South (Mr. Harris) in March 2006 and is a 10-year, £370 million programme of investment. The main part of the programme is delivered by Network Rail who are targeted to spend £35 million per year, and in addition, the Department for Transport will make available approximately £6 million per year for small schemes funding, through to 2015. The exact amount will depend on the applications we receive and on Network Rail's progress.

Departmental NDPBs

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2008,  Official Report, column 417W, on departmental non-departmental public bodies, if he will provide the equivalent figures for each of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 28 October 2008
	The following table details the financial support that the Department for Transport has planned for its advisory Non Departmental Public Bodies for the years 2008 to 2011.
	
		
			  Department for Transport planned financial support to its advisory NDPBs) for the financial years 2008-09 to 2010-11 
			  £ million 
			  Advisory NDPB  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT) 1 1 1 
			 Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Cycling England 20 60 60 
			 (1) None. 
		
	
	The Department also provides secretariat and administrative functions in support of its Advisory NDPBs and meets certain other costs from its own budgets.

Driving: Licensing

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of people driving illegally without a licence or insurance who are resident in  (a) North West Cambridgeshire constituency,  (b) Cambridgeshire,  (c) the East of England and  (d) England and Wales.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There are no figures available for those that drive without a valid driving licence on a regional basis or for uninsured driving. For national figures I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 21 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 282-83W, to the hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs. Villiers).

Highways Agency: Consultants

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total expenditure on consultants by the Highways Agency was in each year since its creation.

Paul Clark: Data is available only from 2002-03 and is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Consultancy expenditure  (£ million) 
			 2002-03 157.5 
			 2003-04 169.7 
			 2004-05 115.0 
			 2005-06 2.4 
			 2006-07 1.7 
			 2007-08 2.0 
		
	
	The figures up to 2004-05 include all external consultants and technical advisers. The reduction in expenditure in 2005-06 was due to applying the revised OGC/Professional Services Forum definition of consultancy effective from 1 April 2005.
	The revised OGC/Professional Services Forum definition of consultancy states:
	'Consultancy falls under the wider category of Professional Services which comprises the following areas; General management and business, Legal, HR, IT,- Property, and Financial. Consultancy services cover one or more of advice, design and development, and implementation where the assignment is time limited or ad hoc, and is in addition to business as usual activity. Where these services are provided as part of steady state operations this should be recorded as staff substitution, even if a consultant is engaged.'
	Expenditure in years 2002-03 to 2004-05 restated on the post 2005 basis is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Consultancy expenditure (restated ) 
			 2002-03 3.4 
			 2003-04 4.7 
			 2004-05 2.4 
			 2005-06 2.4 
			 2006-07 1.7 
			 2007-08 2.0 
		
	
	Consultants and technical advisers provide specialist advice, knowledge and services essential to maintain our infrastructure and deliver transport improvements. They are engaged only where the agency does not normally retain full-time in-house expertise.
	The Highways Agency contracts out 95 per cent. of its total spend. This is for the maintenance of our national road network, to ensure we have properly maintained, safe and serviceable roads.

Motor Vehicles: Licensing

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many vehicles a statutory off road notification was made in the third quarter of  (a) 2008,  (b) 2007,  (c) 2006,  (d) 2005 and  (e) 2004.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following are the total Statutory Off Road Notifications (SORN) processed by the agency for July, August and September of the years stated. The totals consist of notifications made by both manual and electronic means.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 927,368 
			 2005 1,007,738 
			 2006 1,024,288 
			 2007 1,031,549 
			 2008 1,095,695

Motor Vehicles: Lighting

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the terms of Commission Directive 2008/89/EC, on the provision of daytime running lights on motor vehicles, permit  (a) retailers before sale and  (b) purchasers after sale to modify vehicles to remove the facility; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: When the directive comes into force it will require all relevant new type approved vehicles to be fitted with dedicated low-wattage daytime running lights (DRL), which automatically activate when the engine is started, in order to be eligible for registration and sale. While retailers here will not be able to remove or disconnect DRL prior to registering the vehicle, there would currently be nothing thereafter to prevent the DRL being removed or disconnected, provided that this could be achieved without interfering with other lighting functions.
	We are now considering how best to require that DRL fitted from the implementation dates are adequately maintained, so as to ensure that they continue to function correctly after registration.

Railway Stations: Security

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many stations  (a) were accredited to  (b) unsuccessfully applied for accreditation to and  (c) were lapsed from accreditation to the Secure Stations scheme in each year since its inception.

Paul Clark: Stations are awarded Secure Station status for a two year period once they have met the required scheme accreditation standards on station design, station management, crime management and passenger perceptions. After this two year period, stations can seek reaccreditation under the scheme. The vast majority of accredited stations seek and obtain re-accreditation.
	The figures requested are provided in the following table. No details are held on those stations which have unsuccessfully applied for accreditation since the scheme's inception. However, since March 2005, stations which initially would not have gained full accreditation have been able to work towards accreditation. Six such stations have achieved full accreditation in this way.
	The yearly accreditation figures represent stations that have received their accreditation or reaccreditation in that year. The figures do not include those stations in the second year of their accreditation period. For example, by totalling all new accreditations with those currently in the second year of their accreditation there are at present a total of 820 accredited stations in England, Scotland and Wales.
	It should also be noted that the lapsed figures represent stations that that lapsed their accreditation (or re-accreditation) that year—however, they may have subsequently successfully gained re-accreditation thereafter.
	
		
			   Accreditations including re-accreditations  Lapsed stations 
			 1998 5 — 
			 1999 23 — 
			 2000 50 1 
			 2001 60 2 
			 2002 86 15 
			 2003 68 13 
			 2004 93 30 
			 2005 124 35 
			 2006 301 8 
			 2007 278 5 
			 2008 360 7

Railways: Fares

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints his Department received from members of the public on matters which fall within the remit of the Approved Penalty Fares Scheme in the last year for which figures are available.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not collate these statistics. However, there is a very small but regular flow of items of correspondence from passengers regarding National Rail Penalty Fare Schemes. These relate almost exclusively to unsuccessful appeals made by individuals to one of the two approved independent penalty fares appeals services.

Railways: Overcrowding

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will gather information on overcrowding levels on trains outside London and the South East.

Paul Clark: holding answer 27 October 2008
	The Department for Transport will gather information on crowding levels during the morning peak in London and in other cities as part of its plans for monitoring delivery of the capacity metrics, announced in the 2007 High Level Output Specification (HLOS).

Roads: Robin Cousins Centre

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions  (a) he and  (b) his officials have had with (i) Bristol city council and (ii) the Highways Agency in relation to highways access to the Robin Cousins Centre.

Paul Clark: Officials within the Highways Agency have agreed terms for the sale of a permanent right of way to Bristol city council over a plot of land which is under the M5 viaduct at Shirehampton. The land is currently leased to the council and provides access to the Robin Cousins Sports centre. The council are purchasing the right of way to facilitate the sale of their sports centre.
	The Highways Agency's valuer considers that the sports centre site has future development potential and to ensure that the agency obtains best value from its disposal the terms agreed with the council included a "clawback" provision which would trigger a payment to the Highways Agency if the sport centre site's value is increased by the granting of planning, permission for other development in the future.
	The Highways Agency has been advised that inclusion of the clawback is hindering the purchasers of the sports centre from obtaining finance to purchase and operate the site. A meeting between the Highways Agency, Bristol city council, the prospective purchasers and representatives from the community to try to find a way to enable the sale of the sports centre to proceed took place in Shirehampton on 19 September.
	Neither I nor officials from the Department have been involved in these discussions.

Administration of Justice: ICT

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has in place to ensure that all criminal justice IT systems are effectively co-ordinated once they are fully operational.

Bridget Prentice: We have in place governance arrangements to manage the coordination of IT development across the criminal justice system through the Business Change Board and its technical advisory groups. We have put in place an IT infrastructure that is complementary and we are developing this further, for example, through the introduction of joint video services, which enable criminal justice organisations to use one shared service providing video facilities.

Approved Premises

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the implications for public safety of the disclosure to the public of the identity and location of bail hostels; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what guidance he issues to local authorities on the disclosure to the public of the  (a) identity and  (b) location of bail hostels in their area; and what assessment he has made of the operation of such arrangements in practice.

David Hanson: The Bail Accommodation and Support Service provided by ClearSprings Ltd under contract to the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), to which I take these questions to refer, does not provide hostels. It provides people on bail and on Home Detention Curfew with private, rented accommodation in small houses and flats with up to five people sharing. It is not our practice to disclose the addresses as these are the private homes of those provided with the accommodation. If an address does become public ClearSprings and NOMS will consider the risks to the occupants and to the public, consulting the police and other agencies as appropriate, and take such action as is considered appropriate. Local authorities are consulted by ClearSprings about the locations of properties. The Department has not issued guidance to local authorities about the disclosure of addresses. However, in its communication with local authorities in July 2008, ClearSprings asked that they respect the private nature of the houses and share address information on a 'need to know' basis only.

Coroners

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what powers coroners have to investigate deaths overseas.

Bridget Prentice: Since a decision of the Court of Appeal in 1983 coroners have had a duty to investigate a death overseas when the body is lying in their district and the death is reported to them, and the circumstances are such that they would have been required to investigate the death had it occurred in England or Wales.
	Coroners have no special powers in this respect. When investigating overseas deaths they rely on co-operation from British embassies, high commissions or consulates and the relevant foreign administration.
	Under planned coroners' legislation, coroners will retain this important duty. To assist coroners, the new Chief Coroner will have authority to secure information from overseas administrations.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what sanctions are available in cases of departmental staff found to have committed disciplinary offences; and how many times each has been used in each of the last three years.

Michael Wills: In the Ministry of Justice (former DCA), including HMCS, OPG, Tribunals Service, Wales Office, Scottish Office and the Ministry of Justice Headquarters, there are three levels of sanction in disciplinary cases. They are a first written warning, final written warning, and dismissal, although as an alternative to dismissal, a 36 month final written warning can be given.
	In the public sector Prison Service, the following sanctions are available: oral warning, written warning, final written warning, re-grading, removal from the field of promotion, financial restitution and dismissal from service. In cases where the misconduct is serious but does not warrant dismissal, a combination of penalties (for example a final written warning and removal from the field of promotion) can be awarded.
	It is not possible to provide information as to how many times each sanction has been used during the last three years without incurring disproportionate cost.

Electoral Commission: Standards

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps are being taken to  (a) increase the effectiveness of the Electoral Commission as a regulator of electoral administration and  (b) strengthen electoral regulation at local authority level.

Michael Wills: The main statutory functions of the Electoral Commission in relation to electoral administration are to:
	(i) Report on particular elections and referendums (section 5 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA 2000); and
	(ii) Review electoral law and practice (section 5, PPERA 2000).
	In addition, under section 10 of PPERA, the Electoral Commission may provide advice and assistance to electoral administrators.
	Under the Electoral Administration Act 2006, the Government strengthened the Electoral Commission's functions relating to electoral administration by increasing their reporting responsibilities. This included introducing provisions allowing the Electoral Commission to set performance standards for electoral administrators and to collect data on the financial aspects of electoral administration.
	The Electoral Commission has developed these performance standards and the final set of standards was published on 21 July. A copy of these standards was laid before the House and the information obtained from local authorities as a consequence will give us a better understanding of the actions taken to increase registration.
	The Government believe that the measures currently before the House, as part of the Political Parties and Elections Bill, to reform the Commission's governance in line with the recommendations in the Eleventh report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life will help to make the Commission a more effective regulator.

Magistrates Courts: Kent

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the courts service budget for  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11 on the operation of magistrates' courts in Kent.

Bridget Prentice: HMCS' top priority remains running our courts effectively and efficiently—this is our core business and where we will focus our energy and effort.
	The Senior Management team in Kent, along with all other areas of HMCS, are currently looking at what steps can be taken to reduce overheads, remove duplication and increase efficiencies within its business processes. The overall objective is to prioritise front line services to court users.
	Further analysis is required before the full business impact of the budgetary pressures can be assessed. HMCS Regional, Area and Central Directors under the leadership of Chris Mayer, the Chief Executive, are currently reviewing where and how the savings in 2008-09 can be made and the impact.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to ensure prisoners on sentences of imprisonment for public protection with mental health problems have access to offending behaviour programmes and other support to enable them to be released safely at the end of their tariff.

David Hanson: All prisoners, including prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPP), are assessed at the point of reception into prison. Those at risk of having a mental health problem, or vulnerable to suicide, are referred for a mental health assessment to the mental health in-reach team, which will help inform their care and treatment.
	The National Offender Management Service has implemented changes to support the movement of all IPP prisoners through the custodial system in order to improve their access to courses and other work to address their offending.
	There will however be some prisoners who are unable to participate, due to the intensive nature and focus of the programmes. If an offender is not immediately suitable, further work may be possible to prepare the individual. Individuals suffering from serious acute psychiatric morbidity, generally are not suitable for programmes.
	Recent reports by the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health and HM Chief Inspector of Prisons along with a report being prepared by Lord Bradley will inform our offender health strategy to be published early next year.
	The Parole Board decides on the suitability for release of IPP prisoners, who will then be released on licence and subject to probation supervision.

Plain English

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent by his Department on Plain English Campaign training courses for its staff in each year since 2005.

Maria Eagle: There has been no spend in the Ministry of Justice on Plain English Campaign Training courses since 2005. Prior to 2005, the Plain English Campaign was commissioned to support the creation of learning material for internal "Effective Writing" courses.

Prison Sentences

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to ensure people sentenced to imprisonment for public protection and their families are given correct information about the sentence.

David Hanson: When the sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) became available for offences committed after 4 April 2005, information leaflets were provided to members of staff to enable them to advise sentenced offenders with correct information.
	The management of IPPs was changed and enhanced by the introduction of offender management for IPP prisoners in January 2008. The Offender Management Implementation Manual places a clear responsibility on staff, offender managers in the community and offender supervisors in prisons, to ensure that IPP prisoners understand the sentence they have received. The Implementation Manual was accompanied by a further information leaflet for prisoners.
	Where members of prisoners' families make inquiries with the specific consent of the prisoners themselves, they will receive accurate information about the sentence passed by the court.

Re-offenders: Lancashire

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persistent offenders there were in East Lancashire in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: There are two statistical counts of persistent offenders used in the Criminal Justice System.
	The first count is of Persistent Young Offenders (PYOs). A PYO is a young person aged 10 to 17 who has been sentenced guilty of recordable offences on three or more separate occasions, and within three years of the last of these is arrested by the police for a further recordable offence.
	During the three month period from April to June 2008, there were 7,389 criminal court cases across England and Wales in which PYOs were found guilty and sentenced. Of these, 292 were in Lancashire. Within East Lancashire, there were 59 and 48 cases respectively in the "Eastern" and "Pennine" Base Control Unit (BCU) police areas during the same period. Further information on PYOs can be found on the Ministry of Justice website.
	The second is for Prolific and other Priority Offenders (PPOs). The PPO programme tackles a small hard-core of offenders (not confined to any age group) who commit a disproportionate amount of crime, and cause disproportionate damage to their communities. It is a crime reduction programme with a reducing re-offending focus.
	Data from the PPO scheme performance framework indicated that at the end of March 2008 there were a total of 11,296 PPOs being managed in England and Wales, of whom 305 were in Lancashire. In the East Lancashire area (encompassing for this purpose the local authorities of Burnley, Hyndburn and Pendle) there were 99 offenders being managed as PPOs.

Sentencing: Mentally Ill

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will provide guidance to sentencers on the appropriate use of sentences of imprisonment for public protection for offenders with mental health problems; and if he will ensure that such offenders who need treatment under the Mental Health Act 1983 are provided with hospital orders.

Maria Eagle: Sentencing is an independent function and judges and magistrates are responsible for making decisions in individual cases, which are governed by the statutory framework laid down by Parliament. Responsibility for issuing sentencing guidelines rests with the Sentencing Guidelines Council, not the Government. The Council was set up under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and is an independent body chaired by the Lord Chief Justice. The Council's guide for sentencers and practitioners on dangerous offenders makes it clear that if the conditions for a hospital order are satisfied, the court may make such an order, even if the criteria for passing a sentence of imprisonment (or custody) for life, imprisonment (or detention) for public protection or an extended sentence are met.
	In March 2008, the Department issued guidance to the courts on the sentencing options available for mentally disordered offenders following the changes made to the Mental Health Act 1983 by the Mental Health Act 2007. The 2007 Act reflects the continuation of the Government's policy that mentally disordered people who commit offences should receive specialist mental health treatment rather than being punished, wherever that can safely be achieved.

Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to progress with a further review of alcohol labelling before the review of the first stage is complete;
	(2)  what reviews there have been of the independent market survey conducted by the Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association undertaken as part of his Department's review of alcohol labelling; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will discuss with industry partners in the voluntary alcohol labelling agreement whether  (a) the pictorial representation of pregnant women and  (b) the reproduction of the logo drinkaware.co.uk on labels of alcoholic products have the same effect on consumers as an advisory message in text form; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  for what reason the responsible drinking messages disseminated by the drinks industry under the terms of the voluntary alcohol labelling agreement do not include the word please; what assessment he has made of the potential change in the effect of such messages of framing them in more courteous terms; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department will commission independent second stage monitoring of implementation of the voluntary agreement with the alcohol industry to include unit and health information on alcoholic drinks labels towards the end of 2008.
	The Department commissioned a re-analysis by Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association of its initial survey data in the light of new alcohol industry data on market share. We await industry confirmation that these data are not commercially confidential before we can confirm publicly the outcome of the re-analysis.
	We wish to consider constructively possible inclusion of additional wording within sensible drinking messages as complying with the terms of the voluntary agreement with industry, even where these were not suggested as part of the original agreement. We will conclude this consideration shortly.
	The voluntary agreement already makes clear that a pictogram in prescribed form is an acceptable alternative to wording about drinking before and during pregnancy.
	Inclusion of a logo in place of part of the wording of the web address drinkaware.co.uk did not form part of the voluntary agreement. The Department is sceptical that this logo has wide consumer recognition, but is open to discussing any evidence to the contrary.

Alcoholic Drinks: Research

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what procedures will be followed to analyse responses to his Department's public consultation on the alcohol strategy;
	(2)  when his Department's analysis of responses to its public consultation on the alcohol strategy will be complete.

Dawn Primarolo: The public consultation on alcohol, "Safe. Sensible. Social - Consultation on further action", is being carried out under the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Consultations. This code also sets out criteria for how the analysis should be conducted.
	A summary of the responses will be published within three months at the end of the consultation period, which means that the responses will be published by 14 January 2009.

Cholesterol

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he gave to setting the quality and outcomes framework measure for cholesterol management in accordance with guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The development of new indicators for the Quality and Outcomes Framework are considered following an analysis of the evidence base which is carried out by an independent expert panel. Any subsequent changes are made following negotiations between NHS Employers and the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association.

Chronically Sick: Health Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to evaluate the  (a) implementation and  (b) outcomes of the national service framework for long-term medical conditions.

Ann Keen: The National Service Framework (NSF) for Long-term Conditions was published in March 2005, and will be implemented over 10 years with flexibility for local health and social care communities to take account of local priorities and needs. A copy of this document has been placed in the Library.
	The Department has provided service planners, commissioners and providers with guidance, expert advice and support to help them to deliver the NSF's quality requirements. However, in line with devolving responsibility to local organisations, we are moving to a new phase with much greater emphasis on local health and social care communities and the third sector taking responsibility for driving forward service change and improvement. This also recognises that the NSF is not a stand alone priority but that it needs to be closely aligned and integrated into mainstream NHS and social services activity.

Dental Services

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made on the adequacy of the current level of access to NHS dentistry.

Ann Keen: The Department estimated in 2000 that there are some two million people in England who would like to access national health service dental services but are unable to do so.
	Since the reforms to the dental contractual arrangements introduced in April 2006, primary care trusts (PCTs) are now responsible for assessing local need and developing services to meet this need. Increasing the number of patients seen within the NHS dental service is now a national priority in "The Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2008-09". We have supported this with an 11 per cent. uplift in overall dental allocations to PCTs worth £2,081 million (net of patient charge income). Copies of the Operating Framework have already been placed in the Library.

Departmental Freedom of Information

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in relation to what requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on  (a) abortion,  (b) contraception,  (c) reproductive health issues and  (d) euthanasia refused by his Department appeals were made to the Information Commissioner in each year since 2005; how many such appeals were successful; if he will place in the Library copies of the information subsequently provided by his Department in each case; how much was spent by his Department opposing each appeal; what (i) consultants and (ii) law firms his Department employed in connection with each appeal; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Since 2005, requesters have complained twice to the Information Commissioner about the Department's handling of applications for information about abortions under Freedom of Information legislation; one in 2005 and one in 2006. In the first case, the Information Commissioner decided that the Department should release information and a copy of the information was released to the applicant and has already been placed in the Library. In the second case, the Information Commissioner decided in July 2008 that the Department should release the information. After careful consideration and taking into account all the circumstances in both cases, the Department has lodged grounds for appeal with the Information Tribunal and is currently undertaking preparatory work. The Information Commissioner has not received similar complaints about the Department's refusal of requests on contraception, reproductive health issues and euthanasia.
	Legal advice in both cases is provided to the Department by DH Legal Services, which is part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Legal Group. DH Legal Services provides a full range of legal services to the Department including arranging representation in court. No external consultants were employed in either case. No consultants or law firms were instructed in relation to these cases, although DH Legal Services sought advice from Counsel in relation to some matters. The costs associated with these two cases have amounted to £4,400.00 to date. The Department is not expecting the outstanding appeal from the 2006 case to be heard in the current calendar year and therefore the law firm representing the Department is yet to be identified.

Departmental Private Finance Initiative

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the value is of off-balance sheet PFI projects that his Department proposes to enter on its balance sheet in the present financial year.

Ben Bradshaw: A small number of national health service private finance initiative (PR) schemes are regarded under current accounting standards as 'on balance sheet'. The asset/liability reported for these schemes for the latest year for which audited accounts are available, 2007-08, are in the following table. We expect these to continue to be reported as on balance sheet for the current financial year (2008-09).
	
		
			  On balance sheet PF I s 2007-08 
			   £ 000 
			  NHS Body  
			 Devon PCT 2,238 
			 Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust 51,299 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 6,357 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 39,832 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 112,875 
			  Notes:  All figures in £000  Source:  Audited financial monitoring and accounts forms 2007-08. 
		
	
	The Chancellor announced in the March 2008 budget that the accounts of Central Government Departments would be produced under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) from financial year 2009-10. The Department is now undertaking a full assessment of moving to the new standards which includes examining the accounting and resource implications for the NHS's Private Finance Initiative and other Public Private Partnership schemes currently accounted for as off balance sheet.

Doctors: Manpower

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors per 100,000 residents there were in  (a) Chesterfield,  (b) Derbyshire and  (c) England in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: The average number of general practitioners per 100,000 population in  (b) Derbyshire and  (c) England in each year since 1997 is shown as follows along with the number of hospital doctors per 100,000 population in England in each year since 1997.
	The number of general practitioners for Chesterfield and hospital doctors per 100,000 population for Chesterfield and Derbyshire are not available.
	Although primary care trusts (PCTs) serve a defined geographical area, hospital trusts are not defined in this way. Consequently it is not possible to give a figure for the number of doctors per 100,000 population as it would only include those employed directly by the PCT and would be incomplete.
	
		
			  All GPs (excluding retainers and registrars) per 100,000 population for selected organisations in England, as at 1997  to  2007 
			  Number (headcount) 
			1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  England total 28,046 28,251 28,467 28,593 28,802 29,202 30,358 31,523 32,738 33,091 33,364 
			  
			  Total specified organisations 503 513 508 512 518 545 573 595 607 611 622 
			  
			 QCH North Derbyshire HA 191 195 199 193 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 QCJ South Derbyshire HA 312 318 309 319 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  
			 5N7 Derby City PCT n/a n/a n/a n/a 142 143 149 154 155 159 161 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT(1) n/a n/a n/a n/a 376 402 424 441 452 452 461 
			  
			   Per 100,000 population
			  
			  England total 57.6 57.9 58.1 58.1 58.2 58.8 60.9 62.9 64.9 65.2 65.3 
			  
			  Total specified organisations 53.9 54.7 54.0 54.2 55.5 58.1 60.8 62.8 63.8 63.9 64.7 
			  
			 QCH North Derbyshire HA 51.6 52.7 53.6 51.9 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 QCJ South Derbyshire HA 55.4 56.0 54.2 55.7 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  
			 5N7 Derby City PCT n/a n/a n/a n/a 61.5 61.6 64.0 65.8 65.9 67.3 67.7 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT(1) n/a n/a n/a n/a 53.5 56.9 59.7 61.8 63.1 62.7 63.7 
		
	
	
		
			  Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Medical and dental staff( 2)  within specified organisations in England, 1997  to  2007 
			  Number (headcount) 
			1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  England 60,230 62,140 63,994 66,067 68,484 72,168 76,400 82,951 87,043 90,243 91,790 
			  
			 RFS Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 191 202 209 205 229 233 247 260 265 281 306 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT(1) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 50 51 53 53 55 44 
			  
			  
			   Per 100,000 population
			  
			  England(3) 123.8 127.3 130.5 134.2 138.5 145.3 153.2 165.5 172.5 177.8 179.7 
			 n/a = Not applicable (1) In 2006 Amber Valley PCT, Chesterfield PCT, Derbyshire Dales and South Derbyshire PCT, Erewash PCT, High Peak and Dales PCT and North Eastern Derbyshire PCT merged to form Derbyshire County PCT. Figures prior to 2006 are an aggregate of these six predecessor organisations. (2) Figure excludes medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals. (3) Although PCTs serve a defined geographical area, hospital trusts are not defined in this way. Consequently it is not possible to give a figure for the number of doctors and nurses per 100,000 population as it would only include those employed directly by the PCT and would be incomplete.  Notes: 1. Data for Chesterfield are not available. Data are available for trusts and PCTs that provide or provided services within the Chesterfield constituency. 2. Data are not available for the specific geographical area of Derbyshire. The data used here are for both PCTs within Derbyshire for comparability as they were formed from the two former health authorities in Derbyshire. 3. Data as at 1 October 1997-99, 30 September 2000-07.  Sources: 1. The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics. 2. ONS Population figures 1997-2000 mid-year estimates based on 1991 census, 2001-07 mid year estimates based on 2001 census.

General Practitioners: Pharmacy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many responses  (a) in total and  (b) which deal with proposals for dispensing GPs he received to the Pharmacy White Paper;
	(2)  what recent representations the British Medical Association has made to his Department on dispensing GPs, with particular reference to the proposals in the Pharmacy White Paper.

Phil Hope: The Pharmacy White Paper published on 3 April 2008 set out the Government's programme for taking forward national health service pharmaceutical services. We held a series of well-attended national events in May 2008 to hear views on the programme and its implementation, including ideas concerning dispensing doctors. A summary report of these events has been placed in the Library and published on the Department's website on 27 August at:
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_083815
	In addition, we received a response from the Independent Pharmacy Association and officials have also met various stakeholders, including members of the General Practitioners' Committee of the British Medical Association, subsequent to publication to discuss areas in more detail.
	We are currently consulting, as promised in the White Paper, on a number of proposals for legislative reform, including dispensing by doctors. That consultation ends on 20 November 2008. This consultation is also supported by national listening events which representatives of the British Medical Association are attending.

Health Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care episodes related to  (a) health visiting,  (b) community nursing,  (c) district nursing,  (d) community psychiatric nursing,  (e) community learning disability nursing,  (f) specialist care nursing,  (g) chiropody services,  (h) clinical psychology, (i) occupational therapy,  (j) physiotherapy,  (k) speech and language therapy and  (l) community dental services there were in each year since 1990-91.

Ann Keen: Information about the number of episodes of care is not collected centrally. Some information about the number of new episodes of care is available for 1990-91 to 1999-2000 in fig. 7.2 of the Departmental Report 2001 and for 1998-99 to 2003-04 in fig. 7.2 of the Departmental Report 2005. Copies of these reports have already been placed in the Library.
	More recent data for community dental services is available, and is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of episodes of care with initial contact in the year for the specified financial years in England 
			   Number (Thousand) 
			 2004-05 444 
			 2005-06 396 
			  Source:  The NHS Information Centre for health and social care. 
		
	
	Information was not collected for 2003-04 and no information is available since 2005-06 due to changes following the introduction of the new dental contractual arrangements on 1 April 2006.
	As part of the Department's initiative to reduce the burden of data collection on national health service front-line staff, the activity data returns on community nursing were discontinued from April 2004 and those on cross-sector therapy services from April 2005.

Human Papilloma Virus: Vaccination

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation his Department undertook with  (a) the public and  (b) sexual health professionals before deciding to award the human papillomavirus contract to Cervavix.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department did not consult with the public or sexual health professionals regarding the decision to adopt Cervarix rather than Gardasil as the human papillomavirus vaccine for the national programme to protect against cervical cancer. The decision was based on specific criteria which are available in the reply I gave to the hon. Members for Boston and Skegness and Norwich North on 2 July 2008,  Official Report, column 943W.

In Vitro Fertilisation: Finance

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many strategic health authorities in England provide no more than one cycle of IVF treatment per patient.

Dawn Primarolo: In a survey carried out by the Department in autumn 2007, all primary care trusts (PCTs) in South East Coast and South Central strategic health authorities (SHAs) reported a maximum provision of one cycle of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). PCTs across other SHAs reported providing one or more cycles. From April 2009 the East of England SHA will move to three cycles of IVF in line with the fertility guideline produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. A copy of this has been placed in the Library.

Junior Doctors: Training

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what length and type of training trainee and junior doctors undertake at each medical school on the dispensing of medicines; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The training of doctors in medical school is the responsibility of the General Medical Council which has the statutory responsibility to determine the extent and knowledge and skill required for the granting of primary medical qualifications in the UK.
	The content and standard of postgraduate medical training is the responsibility of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board which is the competent authority for postgraduate medical training in the UK.

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to page 35 of his Department's resource accounts for 2007-08, if he will place in the Library a list of each of the 442 significant control issues, stating in which NHS trust each occurred.

Ben Bradshaw: The 442 significant control issues reported by national health service trusts and primary care trusts in their statements of internal control for 2007-08, and referred to in the Department's resource accounts for 2007-08, has been placed in the Library.

Nurses: Manpower

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses per 100,000 residents there were in  (a) Chesterfield,  (b) Derbyshire and  (c) England in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: The average number of practice nurses per 100,000 population in  (b) Derbyshire and  (c) England in each year since 1997 is shown in the tables along with the number of nurses employed in hospitals and the community in England in each year since 1997.
	The number of practice nurses per 100,000 population for  (a) Chesterfield and the number of hospital and community nurses per 100,000 population for Chesterfield and Derbyshire is not available.
	Although primary care trusts (PCTs) serve a defined geographical area, hospital trusts are not defined in this way. Consequently it is not possible to give a figure for the number of nurses per 100,000 population as it would only include those employed directly by the PCT and would be incomplete.
	
		
			  All practice nurses per 100,000 population for selected organisations in England, as at 1997-2007 
			  N umber (headcount) 
			1997( 1)  1998( 1)  1999( 1)  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  England total n/a n/a n/a 19,200 19,846 20,983 21,667 22,144 22,904 23,797 22,860 
			  
			  Total specified organisations n/a n/a n/a 351 351 385 377 433 422 456 486 
			  
			 QCH North Derbyshire HA n/a n/a n/a 128 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 QCJ South Derbyshire HA n/a n/a n/a 223 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  
			 5N7 Derby City PCT n/a n/a n/a n/a 112 122 123 132 129 132 135 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT(2) n/a n/a n/a n/a 239 263 254 301 293 324 351 
			  
			   Per 100,000 population
			  
			  England total n/a n/a n/a 39.0 40.1 42.3 43.5 44.2 45.4 46.9 44.7 
			  
			  Total specified organisations n/a n/a n/a 37.2 37.6 41.0 40.0 45.7 44.3 47.7 50.5 
			 QCH North Derbyshire HA n/a n/a n/a 34.4 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 QCJ South Derbyshire HA n/a n/a n/a 38.9 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  
			 5N7 Derby City PCT n/a n/a n/a n/a 48.5 52.6 52.8 56.4 54.9 55.9 56.7 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT(2) n/a n/a n/a n/a 34.0 37.3 35.8 42.2 40.9 45.0 48.5 
		
	
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in England by specified organisation, 1997-2007 
			  N umber (headcount) 
			1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  England 300,467 304,563 310,142 316,752 330,535 346,537 364,692 375,371 381,257 374,538 376,737 
			  
			 RFS Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 789 818 823 757 887 907 898 938 1,032 964 975 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT(3) n/a n/a n/a n/a 763 1,276 1,282 1,331 1,394 1,271 1,280 
			  
			   Per 100,000  p opulation
			  
			  England(2) 617.4 623.8 632.5 643.4 668.4 697.9 731.3 749.1 755.5 737.8 737.4 
			 n/a = Not applicable. (1) Practice nurse headcount figures are not available on the annual census prior to 2000. (2) Although PCTs serve a defined geographical area, hospital trusts are not defined in this way. Consequently it is not possible to give a figure for the number of doctors and nurses per 100,000 population as it would only include those employed directly by the PCT and would be incomplete. (3) In 2006 Amber Valley PCT, Chesterfield PCT, Derbyshire Dales and South Derbyshire PCT, Erewash PCT, High Peak and Dales PCT and North Eastern Derbyshire PCT merged to form Derbyshire County PCT. Figures prior to 2006 are an aggregate of these six predecessor organisations.  Notes: 1. Data for Chesterfield is not available. Data is available for Trusts and PCTs that provide or provided services within the Chesterfield constituency. 2. Data is not available for the specific geographical area of Derbyshire. The data used here is for both PCTs within Derbyshire for comparability as they were formed from the two former health authorities in Derbyshire. 3. Data as at 1 October 1997-99, 30 September 2000-07.  Sources: 1. The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics 2. ONS Population figures 1997-2000 mid-year estimates based on 1991 census, 2001-2007 mid year estimates based on 2001 census

Nurses: Schools

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent school nurses there are; and how many full-time equivalent school nurses there have been in each of the last 10 years for which data is available.

Ann Keen: The annual NHS workforce census collected accurate information on the number of school nurses employed by the national health service in England for the first time in 2004. The number of school nurses from 2004-2007 is shown in the following table.
	The 2007 census showed there were 2,232 qualified nurses in the school nursing area of work, an increase of 613 or 38 per cent. since 2004. Of these there were 893 school nurses with a post registration school nurse qualification. This is an increase of 286 or 47 per cent. since 2004.
	
		
			  School nurse numbers: England 
			   2004  2005  2006( 1)  2007  Increase 2004-07  Percentage increase since 2004 
			 Headcount   
			 Qualified School nurses 2,409 2,887 2,968 3,162 753 31 
			  O f which:   
			 Qualified School nurses with a post registration school nursing qualification 856 943 1,129 1,227 371 43 
			
			 Full-time equivalent   
			 Qualified School nurses 1,619 1,913 2,053 2,232 613 38 
			  O f which:   
			 Qualified School Nurses with a post registration school nursing qualification 607 665 815 893 286 47 
			 (1) More accurate validation processes in 2006 have resulted in the identification and removal of 9,858 duplicate non-medical staff records out of the total workforce figure of 1.3 million in 2006. Earlier years' figures could not be accurately validated in this way and so will be slightly inflated. The level of inflation in earlier years' figures is estimated to be less than one per cent of total across all non-medical staff groups for headcount figures (and negligible for full-time equivalents). This should be taken into consideration when analysing trends over time.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care, non-medical workforce census, general and personal medical services statistics.

Nurses: Schools

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the public health responsibilities of school nurses are.

Ann Keen: School nurses provide health services to the school-aged population with a particular focus on promoting health.

TICC Skill Centres: Redundancy

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 623-4W, on TICC Ltd: redundancy, what the reasons were for the time taken to reply.

Jonathan R Shaw: As this matter dated back to the early 1990's, it was not clear at the time when the earlier question was asked which Department had responsibility for residual matters relating to TICC Ltd. This necessitated discussions between officials in this Department, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, and the Department for Children Schools and Families.

TICC Skill Centres: Redundancy

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 623-4W, on TICC Ltd: redundancy, whether the records relating to  (a) the terms of transfer of and  (b) compensation payments made to former Department of Employment staff have been destroyed.

Jonathan R Shaw: It is now clear that some records relating to the terms of the transfer of staff from the then Skills Training Agency to TICC Ltd. do still exist and are currently held by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. They confirm that at the time TICC Ltd. went into liquidation 48 civil servants were made redundant and received ex gratia compensation payments from public funds. The payments were based on the settlement each would have received had they been made redundant by the Skills Training Agency at the time of the sale, less any statutory redundancy pay to which they were entitled.

Asylum: Finance

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers received section  (a) 4 and  (b) 95 support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in each year since the Act came into force.

Jacqui Smith: The information is as follows.
	 (a) Published information on the number of asylum seekers who were supported under section 4 is available from 2005 in the Asylum Statistics Annual Bulletin available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html.
	The following table shows the number of applicants, excluding dependants, recorded as being in receipt of Section 4 support as at the end of the period in each respective year.
	 (b) Published information on the number of asylum seekers who received section 95 support is available from 2000 in the Asylum Statistics Annual Bulletin available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	The following table shows the number of applicants, including dependants, recorded as being in receipt of section 95 support (dispersed accommodation and subsistence only) as at the end of the period in each respective year.
	
		
			  Applicants, excluding dependants, in receipt of support under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 at the end of the period( 1) 
			  As at end  Number of applicants on section four support 
			 March 2005(2) 5,200 
			 December 2005 5,180 
			 December 2006 6,555 
			 December 2007 9,140 
			 (1 )Figures rounded to the nearest 5. (2) This was the first snapshot produced on Section 4. 
		
	
	
		
			  Supported asylum seekers (including dependants) in receipt of Section 95 support at the end of the period( 1) 
			   December each year 
			  As at end:  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Asylum seekers supported in dispersed accommodation 13,530 40,325 54,045 49,760 40,750 35,140 36,420 34,150 
			 Asylum seekers in receipt of subsistence only support 8,870 25,310 37,815 30,360 20,875 14,290 11,355 8,900 
			 Total 22,400 65,635 91,860 80,125 61,625 49,430 47,775 43,050 
			 (1 )Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.

Human Trafficking

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for trafficking for labour exploitation have been made under the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc) Act 2004.

Alan Campbell: To date there have been four convictions of people for trafficking for the purposes of forced labour.

Dorneywood

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1187W, on Dorneywood: official hospitality, what use his Department has made of Dorneywood for official engagements in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson) on 20 October 2008,  Official Report, column 91W.

Repossession Orders

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of house repossessions which have taken place in  (a) Southend West constituency and  (b) the United Kingdom as a result of the current financial situation; what steps he (i) has taken and (ii) plans to take to assist people facing repossession of their property; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Government do not hold these figures. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) publishes the total numbers of properties taken into possession, available at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/statistics
	In 2004 the Government extended the scope of Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulation to cover mortgages, helping ensure suitable protection for borrowers, including those experiencing arrears or repossession.
	On 22 October, the Government confirmed that the Master of the Rolls had approved a new protocol for mortgage possession cases, which compliments existing regulation, and sets out clear standards that judges may expect of lenders bringing repossessions cases in the courts.
	On 2 September, the Government announced a significant package of measures to help borrowers in difficulty, help first time buyers and support the house building industry. Further details of these measures are available on the HM Treasury website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2008/press_88_08.cfm
	the Department for Communities and Local Government website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/950558
	and the Department for Work and Pensions website:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/aboutus/news/#smi
	The Government also provides assistance for homeowners facing financial difficulties through the provision of debt advice. It announced in May 2008 a £10 million package of measures to ensure that financial advice and support is available for borrowers who may need it. Details of the announcement are available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2008/press_44_08.cfm

Rural Areas

James Paice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of which of his Department's public service agreements rural proofing of departmental policies is stipulated.

Ian Pearson: HM Treasury leads on one cross Government Public Service Agreement (PSA) for the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR2007) period:
	PSA9—Halve the number of children in poverty by 2010-11 on the way to eradicating child poverty.
	HM Treasury has signed up as a formal delivery partner for the following PSAs:
	PSA 1—Raise the productivity of the UK economy (led by BERR);
	PSA 6—Deliver the conditions for business success in the UK (led by BERR);
	PSA 7—Improve the economic performance of all English regions and reduce the gap in economic growth rates between regions (led by BERR);
	PSA 8—Maximise employment opportunity for all (led by DWP);
	PSA 27—Lead the global effort to avoid dangerous climate change (led by DEFRA); and
	PSA29—Reduce poverty in poorer countries through quicker progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (led by DFID).
	It is a requirement for all new policies and programmes to be subject to an impact assessment which includes rural proofing.

River Severn: Tidal Power

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received from local businesses and employers in  (a) the South West and  (b) South Wales on the impact of a Severn Barrage on the local economy.

Mike O'Brien: As part of Government's study looking at the feasibility of a tidal power scheme in the Severn estuary DTZ in collaboration with MDS Transmodal and Arthur D. Little have been commissioned to undertake an initial assessment of the potential economic impact of a tidal power scheme on the Welsh and South West of England economies.
	Information has separately been sought from all those ports in the South West and Wales likely to be directly impacted by a tidal power scheme in the estuary. Replies have been received from; Bristol Port Co., Milford Haven Port Authority, Gloucester Harbour Trustees, Environment Agency (Lydney Harbour), Neath Harbour Commissioners, Associated British Ports, Sharpness Dock and British Waterways (Sharpness).
	In addition, as an early part of the strategic environmental assessment process, a Call for Information was issued in May 2008. This invited interested parties to submit comments or information that could contribute to the assessment. This yielded responses from the Ports Industry, Shooting and Angling bodies, and Marine Aggregates Producers.
	Business representatives also participate in our various feasibility study stakeholder groups. The feasibility study regional forum meetings are for representatives from local government and representatives of the local environmental and business community. Membership includes representatives from the South West Chambers of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses and Confederation of British Industry in the South West and Wales. Bristol Port Co., the Association of British Ports, West of England Strategic Economic Partnership, the Crown Estate, the Institute of Directors and GWE Business West are also members. The Steering Group for the Strategic Environmental Assessment—a major part of the feasibility study—includes a business representative and also representatives of the ports. Regional business issues are also raised through MPs attending the feasibility study parliamentary forum.

Departmental Public Participation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what  (a) listening exercises and  (b) public forums his Department has held in each of the last two years; what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost was in each case; and who the private contractor was and how much it was paid in each case.

Barbara Follett: The Department regularly engages in dialogue with a range of relevant stakeholders, which may include members of the public, representatives from our non-departmental public bodies and other interested parties or individuals within our sectors.
	The Department has held no formal, planned activity in the last two years specifically defined as a "listening exercise". The Department held a series of public engagement events which could be defined as "public forums" to discuss the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, details for which are as follows:
	 Public forums
	"London 2012: Ask the team" question time events
	(i) Purpose:
	A series of public engagement events held round the UK in partnership with London 2012 to give stakeholders and members of the public the opportunity to ask questions about the Games and how they can get involved.
	(ii) Costs (excl VAT):
	Birmingham, 25 June 2007: £36,478
	London, 11 October 2007: £26,962
	Plymouth, 13 March 2008: £18,799
	Belfast, 25 June 2008: 17,750
	(iii) Contractor:
	Central Office of Information (COI)
	(iv) Amount paid to contractor:
	The aforementioned amounts listed were paid to COI

Departmental Temporary Employment

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which recruitment agencies  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have used in the last three years; and how much was paid to each of these recruitment agencies in each year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department and its agency have used the following temporary and permanent recruitment agencies in the past three years:
	
		
			  £ 
			  DCMS supplier  2007-08  2006-07  2005-06 
			 Adecco 217,233.72 453,499.54 488,050.84 
			 Poolia Specialist Recruitment 106,107.84 47,714.39 26,453.76 
			 Josephine Sammons 50,420.96 99,876.23 127,485.25 
			 Morgan Law 50,290.00 36,895.00 0.00 
			 Goodman Masson Recruitment Services 0.00 0.00 1,837.71 
			 Hayes 13,824.64 0.00 0.00 
			 Brook Street 52,405.67 0.00 0.00 
			 Taylor Bennett 28,752.25 0.00 0.00 
			 Odgers Ray and Berndtson 133,031.16 264,808.98 33,709.24 
			 Capita Resourcing Ltd. 44,769.38 7,050.00 0.00 
			 Whitehead Mann Ltd. 0.00 164,368.02 0.00 
		
	
	
		
			  £ 
			  Royal Parks (agency) supplier  2007-08  2006-07  2005-06 
			 Hays Accountancy 262,821.21 189,412.66 158,385.79 
			 Judd Farris Ltd. 1,550.65 92,883.95 0.00 
			 Michael Page 43,488.41 0.00 0.00 
			 Morgan Hunt 9,851.81 0.00 0.00 
			 Reed Employment 39,095.96 37,288.85 0.00 
			 Select Financial Ltd. 9,693.75 0.00 0.00 
			 The Sports Web 25,841.45 27,468.32 12,570.49 
			 Stopgap Ltd. 4,882.92 15,089.00 28,291.89 
			 Sue Hill 20,875.15 38,548.57 0.00 
			  Note: Many of the recruitments relate to non-departmental public bodies chairs and chief executives. They do not all relate to DCMS staff.

Horserace Totalisator Board

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what consideration would be given to a reasonable offer from a third party to purchase the Tote.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 28 October 2008
	 The Government appreciate that a number of potential purchasers may be disappointed that the opportunity to buy the Tote is not available for the time being but, given the need for an open, transparent and accountable sale process, they will not be following up any offers they receive now a decision has been taken to retain the Tote in public ownership.

Departmental Secretarial Staff

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department provides a separate diary secretary to  (a) each Minister of State and  (b) each Parliamentary Under Secretary of State.

Patrick McFadden: Every Minister of State and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State is provided with their own diary secretary except that in the case of Ministers shared with another Department agreement is reached about which Department should provide the diary secretary as it would lead to confusion if there were two.

Departmental Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many and what proportion of written Questions for answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament to date.

Gareth Thomas: As at 20 October 2008, the Department had answered 591 named day questions, of which 144 were answered on the due date. Of those answers receiving a "holding" reply, just under 40 per cent. received a substantive reply within two sitting days of the specified date. The Department is considering ways to improve its performance on answering named day questions.

Exports: Israel

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many consignments of goods were exported from the UK in each of the last three years to  (a) Israel and  (b) the occupied Palestinian territories.

Gareth Thomas: Numbers of consignments are not available. Other information includes:
	 (a) The value of goods exported to Israel amounted to £1.4 billion in 2005, £1.3 billion in 2006 and £1.2 billion in 2007. For exports where weight was recorded, the annual amounts were 381, 448 and 222 thousand tonnes respectively.
	 (b) The value of goods exported to the Occupied Palestinian Territories amounted to £2.1 million in 2005, £1.1 million in 2006 and £0.9 million in 2007. For exports where weight was recorded, the annual amounts were 602, 234 and 218 tonnes respectively.

Flexible Working

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many refusals of requests for flexible working by  (a) (i) mothers and (ii) fathers in each year since 2003 and  (b) carers in 2007 were taken to employment tribunals.

Patrick McFadden: It is not possible to give a breakdown by mother, father or carer, or the number of claims on the grounds of refusal of request for flexible working as this would incur a disproportionate cost.

Maternity Leave

Maria Miller: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what analysis he has made of changes in the length of maternity leave taken over the last 10 years; and what future trends in such leave he anticipates.

Patrick McFadden: In the last 10 years three surveys on maternity and paternity rights have been produced by my Department and the Department for Work and Pensions. These publications, which include a survey on the length of maternity leave taken, can be found at:
	1. Maternity rights and mothers' employment decisions
	(http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep496.pdf)
	2. Maternity and Paternity Rights and Benefits: Survey of Parents 2005
	(http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file27446.pdf)
	3. Maternity and Paternity Rights in Britain 2002: survey of parents
	(http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/ih2003-2004/IH131.pdf)
	Future trends in maternity leave have not been forecasted.

Postal Services

Nick Gibb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many post office boxes have been closed in the last 12 months; how many are expected to be closed in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The provision of post office boxes is an operational matter for which Royal Mail has direct responsibility. I have therefore asked the chief executive of Royal Mail, Adam Crozier, to provide a direct reply to the hon. Member.
	A copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Powers of Entry

Michael Ancram: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many powers of entry have been  (a) introduced and  (b) abolished by legislation introduced by his Department since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Home Department on 22 October 2008,  Official Report, column 452W.

Departmental Recruitment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants in his Department were recruited through the fast stream; and what the average salary of those officials is.

Tom Watson: The Department's HR records do not include information on routes of entry into the civil service. To collect this information would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.
	Over the past five years the Department has recruited, on average, a total of 4-5 civil servants per year through the fast stream.
	Statistics on intake into the fast stream as a whole are published annually at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports/faststream
	Copies are available in the Library for the reference of Members.

Government Departments: Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 25-26WS, on data handling procedures, how many Government  (a) Departments and  (b) agencies store data outside the UK; and how many individuals' data are stored in this way.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the data handling report published on 25 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 25-26WS, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
	Data stored by Departments or agencies, whether in the UK or overseas, must be afforded the same level of protection as laid out in the new arrangements and adhere to UK data protection legislation.
	The total number of Government Departments and agencies storing data outside the UK is not held centrally.

Young People: Hampshire

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the number of 16 to 25 year olds living in  (a) Southampton,  (b) Test Valley Borough and  (c) the non-metropolitan county of Hampshire.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question about the number of 16-25 year olds living in (a) Southampton, (b) Test Valley and (c) the county of Hampshire (231307).
	The table below shows the estimated resident population of persons aged 16-25 years for the areas requested for mid-2007, the latest year for which estimates are available.
	
		
			  Mid-year population estimates of persons aged 16-25 years, 2007 
			  Area  Population (Thousand) 
			 Southampton 50 
			 Test Valley 12 
			 Hampshire county 149 
			  Source: Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	Please note that the population estimate for Hampshire county does not include the unitary authorities of Portsmouth and Southampton.

Adult Education

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many  (a) adult safeguarded learning places and  (b) personal and community development learning places (i) were funded by the Learning and Skills Council in each of the last five years and (ii) will be funded by the Learning and Skills Council in each of the next three years.

Si�n Simon: Informal adult learning is highly valued by Government. We have made an unequivocal commitment to sustain its funding, with 210 million available every year until the end of the CSR period. This year we have also conducted a wide consultation on informal adult learning because we recognise the enormous contribution that this activity makes to the quality of life, health and well-being of individuals, neighbourhoods and wider society. These consultation findings will provide the basis for a new informal adult learning strategy for the 21st century.
	Table A shows the total number of Adult and Community Learners (now referred to as Adult Safeguarded Learning) from 2002/03 through to 2006/07. These figures are the closest proxy available to what was also termed Personal and Community Development (PCDL).
	
		
			  Table A: Adult and Community Learner numbers for 2002/03 to 2006/07 
			   Adult and Community Learning 
			 2003/04 842,100 
			 2004/05 871,400 
			 2005/06 793,400 
			 2006/07 745,500 
			  Note:  Figures prior to 2003/04 are not available  Source: Various statistical first releases 
		
	
	Table B shows the total planned number of Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funded learners numbers for Adult Safeguarded Learning for 2007/08 to 2010/11.
	
		
			  Table B: Planned Adult Safeguarded Learner numbers for 2007/08 to 2010/11 
			   Adult Safeguarded Learning 
			 2007/08 660,000 
			 2008/09 630,000 
			 2009/10 605,000 
			 2010/11 585,000 
			  Source: LSC Grant Letter 2008-09 
		
	
	We are currently also working on the LSC Grant Letter and Statement of Priorities for 2009-10 which will set out our investment strategy and associated learner numbers for 2009-10.

Adult Education

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many learner places funded by the Learning and Skills Council which would now be classified as development learning were available in each of the five years before 2008-09, broken down by whether the places are  (a) at or below level 2 or outside the national qualifications framework and  (b) at or above level 3 of the framework;
	(2)  how many learner places funded by the Learning and Skills Council and classified as development learning will be available in each year from 2008-09 to 2010-11, broken down by whether the places are  (a) at or below level 2 or outside the national qualifications framework and  (b) at or above level 3 of the framework.

Si�n Simon: Our planned and continuing strategy has been to prioritise funding away from a high number of shorter and low quality courses towards longer courses that offer the greatest opportunity to gain employability skills and further progression in learning.
	The concept of 'developmental learning' was introduced for the academic year 2008/09. We are able to identify learner numbers at the level of qualification requested. However, due to the way data are collected it is not possible to determine which learners at the lower levels would be now classified as foundation learning tier or developmental learning.
	The following table shows adult (aged 19 or over) FE learner numbers funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in the five most recent years for which data are available (actual figures for 2007/08 are not yet available):
	
		
			  LSC-funded FE adult learners 2002/03 to 2006/07 
			   Level 2 and below (million)  Level 3 and above (000) 
			 2002/03 2.2 550 
			 2003/04 2.3 536 
			 2004/05 2.4 544 
			 2005/06 2.1 479 
			 2006/07 1.5 424 
			  Note:  Learners whose level was not reported are not included here.  Source:  LSC Statistical First Release. 
		
	
	Forecast LSC-funded adult learners in developmental learning for the academic years 2008/09 to 2010/11 are given in the following table; figures for 2007/08 are not available:
	
		
			  LSC-funded learners through adult learner and employer responsive routes 
			   Developmental learning (000) 
			 2008/09 508 
			 2009/10 219 
			 2010/11 116 
			  Source:  LSC Grant Letter 2008/09. 
		
	
	These figures are for planning purposes only. It is for FE colleges and providers to determine the mix and balance of courses they support in line with local priorities and demand. We are currently working on the LSC Grant Letter and Statement of Priorities for 2009-10 which will confirm the investment strategy for 2009-10 and associated learner numbers.

Adult Education

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how much the Learning and Skills Council spent in each of the last five years before 2008-09 on learning that would now be classified as development learning, broken down by whether the learning was  (a) at or below level 2 or outside the national qualifications framework and  (b) at or above level 3 of the framework;
	(2)  how much the Learning and Skills Council plans to spend on developmental learning in each year from 2008-09 to 2010-11, broken down by whether the learning is  (a) at or below level 2 or outside the national qualifications framework and  (b) at or above level 3 of the framework.

Si�n Simon: Total Government investment in the post-16 further education system has increased by 53 per cent. in real terms from 1997 to 2008. Over the next three years the Department's investment in adult skills is planned to increase from 4.6 billion in 2007-08 to 5.3 billion in 2010-11 -a real terms increase of 7 per cent.
	The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Grant Letter for 2008-09 (November, 2007) set out levels of investment in developmental learning over the comprehensive spending review period for planning purposes only. This is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Planned LSC investment in developmental learning (adult learner and employer responsive route) 2008-09  to  2010-11 
			million 
			 2008-09 395 
			 2009-10 194 
			 2010-11 106 
			  Source: LSC Grant Letter 2008/09 
		
	
	While we know that this funding will be directed towards courses falling outside of priority areas such as full level 2 qualifications, it is for FE colleges and providers to determine the mix and balance of courses they support in line with local priorities and demand. It is therefore not possible to project the proportion of this funding that will be spent by level.
	Funding to FE colleges and providers is only provided at an overall budget level (i.e. the total budget for learners aged 19 or over on college based FE courses) rather than by level of qualification. In order to estimate spend against developmental learning type course we would need to know the number of learners on this provision. While we have information on the number of learners studying on courses at level 2 and below and level 3 and above it is not possible to determine within these which would now fall within the developmental learning category and which would fall within for example the foundation learning tier.
	We are currently working on the LSC Grant Letter and Statement of Priorities for 2009-10 which will confirm the investment strategy for 2009-10 and associated learner numbers.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of people on programme-led apprenticeships proceeded to employed-status apprenticeships in each year since programme-led apprenticeships began.

Si�n Simon: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) have not previously monitored the number of programme-led apprentices that proceed to employed-status apprenticeships. A field is being introduced to the 2008/09 individualised learner record data collection which will allow us to report this information from autumn 2009.
	Employment status is a requirement to achieve a full apprenticeship framework completion. Assessors identify whether a programme-led apprentice has achieved employment status before awarding a framework completion, but they do not routinely share this information with the LSC.

Apprentices: Redundancy

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many apprentices were made redundant  (a) during an apprenticeship and  (b) shortly after finishing an apprenticeship in each of the last two years.

Si�n Simon: We do not hold data centrally about the number of apprentices made redundant while they are on an apprenticeship or after they have left. Where apprentices do lose their jobs through redundancy, training providers and the Learning and Skills Council will endeavour to find alternative employment or training places. We have recently implemented a matching system for construction apprentices who are at risk of losing their jobs.

Christmas

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many Christmas functions  (a) he,  (b) officials from his Department and  (c) officials from its executive agencies (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2007-08; what the cost to the public purse was; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: In 2007-08 the Secretary of State hosted one official Christmas function for 50 people which cost 665. In addition the Secretary of State plus other Ministers and staff attended the joint carol service held by the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Staff attended in their own personal time. No public money was spent on this event.
	Departmental divisions do hold Christmas parties for staff to attend, for which these staff must pay. Christmas parties are not paid for out of departmental budgets
	The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) hosted no Christmas functions with a cost to the public purse in 2007-08. Similarly, UKIPO officials attended no public Christmas functions at a cost to the public purse.
	In 2007-08 the National Weights and Measures Laboratory contributed 10 per member of staff towards the Christmas function. This amounted to some 530. Officials attended no other public Christmas functions at a cost to the public purse.
	Details of Christmas functions attended and hosted by other Ministers and officials of the Department and any possible resultant costs can be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental ICT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what IT projects  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies is undertaking; and what the most recent estimate of (i) the cost and (ii) the completion date of each is.

Si�n Simon: As far as we are aware, the following lists the projects currently being undertaken by DIUS and its Agencies.
	
		
			  Projects  Expected completion date  Estimated cost (000) 
			 Directory ServicesDIUS January 2009 80 
			 Website Re-DesignIntellectual Property Office (IPO) November 2008 664 
			 Office/Exchange 2007IPO December 2008 960 
			 Register MaintenanceIPO January 2010 1,600 
			 Enforcement Database RebuildNational Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) November 2008 40.5 
			 Time recording systemNWML April 2009 24.9 
			 Website DevelopmentNWML December 2008 12.5 
			 Intranet DevelopmentNWML December 2008 6

Departmental ICT

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on upgrading its IT in each of the last three financial years.

Si�n Simon: DIUS is a new Department established in June 2007 substantially from parts of the former DTI and DFES. It procured a unified ICT solution under a seven year agreement commencing 19 November 2007. The cost of the initial set-up and subsequent upgrades in the last three financial years was:
	
		
			   000 
			 FY 2006/07 (1)0 
			 FY 2007/08 459 
			 FY 2008/09 (2)110 
			 (1) The Department did not exist (2) To date

Departmental NDPBs

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what funding has been agreed with each of his Department's non-departmental bodies for the period 2008 to 2011.

Si�n Simon: holding answer 21 October 2008
	The budgets for the Department's executive non-departmental public bodies are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   million 
			  Non -d epartmental  public b ody  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Higher Education Funding Council for England 7,466.7 7,706.3 8,061.0 
			 Student Loans Company 82.3 74.7 77.1 
			 Office for Fair Access 0.5 0.5 0.5 
			 Learning and Skills Council 11,589.0 12,017.0 12,599.0 
			 UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES)(1) 69.7 68.1 67.9 
			 Technology Strategy Board 180.0 243.0 253.0 
			 Design Council 6.0 6.0 6.0 
			 Arts and Humanities Research Council 103.5 104.4 108.8 
			 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council 427.0 452.6 471.1 
			 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council 795.1 814.5 843.5 
			 Economic and Social Research Council 164.9 170.6 177.6 
			 Medical Research Council 605.5 658.5 707.0 
			 Natural Environment Research Council 392.2 408.2 436.0 
			 Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) 623.6 630.3 651.6 
			 Investors in People UK (IIP UK)(2) 6.7   
			 Quality Improvement Agency (QIA)(3) 1.1   
			 (1) Includes residual funding for Sector Skills Development Agency in 2007-08. (2) Funding for IIP UK for 2009-10 and 2010-11 is yet to be announced. (3) On 1 October 2008, the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) and the Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL) transferred their operations to the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS). In March, the Secretary of State sent LSIS a letter announcing a grant of 129 million for 2008-09. This figure has since been raised to 145 million.  Sources: Departmental Annual Report 2007-08 Annex 9 except Research Councils and STFC: The Allocations of the Science Budget 2008-09 to 2010-11 and IIP UK and QIA: Main Estimate 2008-09

Community Infrastructure Levy

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the annual net change in revenue to accrue from community infrastructure levy, compared with the revenue accruing from existing section 106 regime.

Iain Wright: As the Government set out at paragraph 2.7 of its August policy statement on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), CIL will provide further new resources to support housing growth and the development of local communities. Estimates on CIL's revenue raising potential are heavily dependent on assumptions about the number of planning authorities who choose to implement a CIL and the level at which CIL is set in each area. However, the Government believe that CIL has the potential to raise hundreds of millions of pounds per year of extra funding for infrastructure.
	Details of research estimating the value of planning obligations in the year 2005-06 are set out in the report Valuing Planning Obligations in England: Update Study for 2005-06. The report is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/planningbuilding/planningresearch/researchreports/planningobligationsresearch.

Council Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 10 September 2008,  Official Report, columns 1987-8W, on council tax, whether local authorities may grant a single person council tax discount on the condition that the householder permits an internal inspection of their property by a local authority representative.

John Healey: It is for local authorities to administer council tax, within the legislative framework set out in the Local Government Finance Act 1992, including the granting of discounts or exemptions.

Departmental Accountancy

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) purpose and  (b) nature of (i) the 136,000 ex gratia payment and (ii) the 286,000 adverse costs payment recorded on page 62 of her Department's most recent resource accounts was.

Sadiq Khan: The two amounts are balance sheet provisions recording an existing liability where there is uncertainty over the amount and/or timing of the payment; they do not record actual payments made. (i) The provision of 136,000 for ex-gratia payments is to cover eight claims against the Planning Inspectorate where liability has acknowledged but value is being negotiated, (ii) the provision of 286,000 for adverse costs is to cover legal costs incurred by the Planning Inspectorate where the final amount is yet to be determined.

Development of English Regions Programme

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what projects her Department is undertaking through the Development of English Regions programme; and what the budget of each is.

Sadiq Khan: holding answer 28 October 2008
	 There is no 'Development of the English Regions Programme' that CLG is aware of or in which CLG undertakes projects.

Eco-towns: Curborough

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of hectares of the proposed Curborough eco-town will be on greenfield land.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that my right hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley gave him on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1159W, in which she confirmed that the Curborough eco-town proposal had been withdrawn from the eco-towns programme. The location is therefore being assessed as part of the Sustainability Appraisal (SA), and this will include details about development on greenfield land. We expect to publish the SA shortly and copies will be placed in the House Library.

Housing: Prices

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research her Department has undertaken, commissioned or evaluated on the relative changes of the prices of houses and flats in the last 12 months.

Iain Wright: Data on house price changes by dwelling type is available from the monthly CLG house price index available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housepriceindex.
	CLG uses data from the Regulated Mortgage Survey (RMS), carried out by the Council of Mortgage Lenders, to calculate mix-adjusted house prices for the CLG house price index. The RMS includes mortgage completions data which covers approximately 60 per cent. of the UK mortgage market in 2007.

Housing: Repairs and Maintenance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the level of tenant satisfaction with each registered social landlord's performance on repairs and maintenance was in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: The Housing Corporation requires Registered Social landlords (RSLs) to survey their tenants at least every three years in a form consistent with the National Housing Federation's STATUS (Standard Tenant Satisfaction Survey) methodology. Since 2007, the Housing Corporation has collected information from RSLs' general needs tenant surveys on satisfaction with repairs, which is published as the performance indicator 'Tenant satisfaction with repairs and maintenance service'. In accordance with its published performance indicator criteria, the Corporation publishes the results on this performance indicator for associations with greater than 1,000 dwellings in total and that manage at least 250 general needs dwellings.
	This information is not available for years before 2007. The information for 2007 is available through the Housing Corporation's website at:
	http://housingpis.co.uk/
	The information for 2008 will be published on the website shortly.

Regional Empowerment Consortia

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1412W, on regional empowerment consortia, how much her Department has allocated to regional empowerment consortia in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Sadiq Khan: For 2008-09 the Community Development Foundation received 1,645,000 from the Department for Communities and Local Government to support nine independent Regional Empowerment Consortia. Subject to satisfactory performance review the Community Development Foundation will receive for 2009-10 a further 1,715,000 to continue this support.

Regional Planning and Development: Canvey Island

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1411W, on regional planning and development, whether she has received notification from Castle Point Borough Council that it has set a target for submission to her of the Local Development Plan of March 2009; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Secretary of State has not received formal notification from Castle Point borough council of its latest timetable for progressing its core strategy which is the primary development plan document in the local development framework.
	However the borough council has told the Government office for the east of England that it intends to publish a pre-submission consultation in December 2008 with formal submission to the Secretary of State to follow in February 2009.
	The council has also indicated that it intends to review its local development scheme next year with submission to Secretary of State expected by March 2009.

State of the Cities Database

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the purpose of the proposed State of the Cities Database development is.

John Healey: CLG is committed to keeping the key data that underpinned the State of the English Cities report, published by ODPM in March 2006, updated within the State of the Cities Database (SOCD). The database is used extensively by central and local government. Regional Development Agencies, academics and bodies like the Centre for Cities and Work Foundation, to monitor the progress and performance of cities in England.
	Taking account of feedback received from users since the launch of SOCD in November 2006, a new and improved version of the database was published by the Department in September of this year.
	The Department is considering making further improvements to SOCD, by looking at replacing data on Wards and Tracts, with data on Super Output Areas (SOAs). This is because since the release of the 2001 Census, SOAs have mainly replaced Wards for the release of statistical information.

Valuation Office: Council Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1429W, on the Valuation Office: council tax, if she will list each type of property data attribute that is sold.

John Healey: No council tax property attribute data is included in the sale of data reported on Page 54 of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) Annual Report and Accounts 2007-08.

Valuation Office: ICT

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, column 630W, on the Valuation Office: ICT, on what date the copy of the guidance was placed in the Library.

John Healey: A copy of the guidance was placed in the Library on 3 July 2008.

Waste Disposal

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have cited a move to an alternate weekly collection of household rubbish as an efficiency saving in their annual efficiency returns submitted to her Department.

John Healey: For information on citations in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 Backward Look efficiency statements, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 14 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1173-74W. For information on citations in the 2006-07 Backward Look efficiency statements, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend, the Member for Gloucester on 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1324W.
	Citations in the 2007-08 Backward Look efficiency statements are as follows:
	Canterbury city council
	Charnwood borough council
	Crewe and Nantwich borough council
	Kennet district council
	Kirklees metropolitan borough council
	North Hertfordshire district council
	Redditch borough council
	Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council
	South Cambridgeshire district council
	Spelthorne borough council
	Swale borough council
	Test Valley borough council
	West Lancashire district council
	York city council

Pupil Referral Units

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children who attended pupil referral units in each of the last five years were  (a) pupils permanently excluded from school and on fixed-term exclusions of more than 15 days,  (b) pregnant schoolgirls and school-aged mothers,  (c) anxious or vulnerable pupils,  (d) school refusers, phobics and young carers,  (e) pupils unable to attend school because of medical reasons,  (f) pupils moving into the local authority (casual admissions) who were unable to find a school place because of insufficiency of school places within the local authority,  (g) children who, because of entering public care or moving placement, required a change of school and were unable to access a school place,  (h) pupils with statements of special educational need (SEN) whose placements were not yet agreed and pupils awaiting assessment of SEN and (i) asylum seekers and refugees who had no school place.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested is not collected.
	The available information about the number of pupils with a statement of special educational need in pupil referral units has been published in a series of statistical publications. The most recent of which is the Statistical First Release: Special Educational Needs in England: January 2008
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000794/index.shtml

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government have taken to increase access to AIDS medication in developing countries.

Ivan Lewis: At Gleneagles in 2005, the UK Government led efforts to secure the commitment of the G8 to the goal of universal access to HIV treatment by 2010. In 2007, the G8 committed to scale up their efforts to achieve Universal Access, including providing, with other donors, a projected $60 billion over the coming years. G8 leaders, at their meeting in July this year reiterated their commitment to work towards the goal of universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010. The UK Government continue to push G8 colleagues to ensure they fulfil and implement previous summit commitments.
	In June 2008, the UK Government made a commitment to spend 6 billion over seven years to 2015 to strengthen health systems and services which are essential to the provision of effective treatment. Subject to performance, the UK Government has also committed an additional 1 billion to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria from 2008-15 and has made a 20 year commitment of up to 60 million per year by 2010 to the UNITAID drug purchase facility. Both play key roles in supporting countries to access high quality, affordable medicines for the treatment of HIV.
	In addition, the UK Government has worked with pharmaceutical companies to develop a Good Practice Framework (2005) to help support access to medicines for the poor. The UK Government continue to support the right of developing countries to use, judiciously and where necessary, flexibilities available under international trade rules to ensure access to affordable, high quality medicines.

Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with  (a) the World Bank,  (b) the African Development Bank,  (c) the International Monetary Fund and  (d) the UN on a long-term economic assistance package for Zimbabwe; what conditions would be imposed by the Government on any such package; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with  (a) the World Bank,  (b) the African Development Bank,  (c) the International Monetary Fund and  (d) the UN on an international donor conference for Zimbabwe; what conditions the Government would apply to the holding of such a conference; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: In principle, the UK Government stand ready, as part of a wider international effort, to support Zimbabwe's economic recovery if a new administration shows a clear commitment to change and a willingness to tackle the root causes of economic, political and social decline. Macro-economic reformincluding tackling hyperinflationmust be at the forefront of any reform efforts, as well as reviving the wider economy and supporting basic social and humanitarian needs. There is broad agreement among international donors on a core set of common sense global values which would signal such a change: these include an end to political violence, free and equal humanitarian access, commitment to democracy and to economic reform and respect for human rights. In order to succeed, recovery and development efforts must be led by a Government of Zimbabwe that is committed to reform. The timing and details of any donor conference must be decided by the new administration.
	This is the stance the UK Government and like-minded donors have presented in all recent discussions with international partners. The UK Government are engaged in a range of discussions on recovery with the major international financial institutions and other bilateral donors. Such meetings take place regularly in Harare and between donor capitals. Zimbabwe is also discussed at ad hoc international events: recent examples of which include the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly and the World Bank/IMF annual meetings in early October 2008.